Breathing apparatus



July 29, 1947. H. c. SONTAG BREATHING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1939 INVENTOR HARCOURT C. SONTAG ATTORNEY Jul 29, 1947.

H. c. SONTAG I BREATH TNG' APPARATUS V I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed: May 3, 1959 INVENTOR mpcoumc .s o-rno ATTORNEY Patented July 29, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,424,586 BREATHING APPARATUS Harcourt G. Sontag, Arlington, Va. Application May 3, 1939, Serial No. 271,517

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for delivering a gaseous respirable medium at rates suitable for respiratory purposes, and for reconditioning the expired gases to render it suitable for rebreathing purposes, and for storing it for further respiration.

This invention has for its object the disclosure of a design of a simple, reliable and durable apparatus for automatically controlling the flow of gaseous respirable medium to accommodate the respiratory demand.

Another object of this invention is to provide a breathing apparatus devoid of pressure regulating devices.

, A further object of this invention is to provide a breathing apparatus in which the delivery of the respirable medium occurs only during the inhaling period of the respiratory cycle.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a breathing apparatus with means for storing the expired gases at the ambient atmospheric pressure.

Another obj ect of this invention is to provide a breathing apparatus with means for reconditioning the expired gases by removing from them the noxious gases and the water vapor, thus rendering them suitable for rebreathing purposes.

These and other features of this invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

Fig. 1 is a View in elevation of one form of breathing apparatus with parts broken away to show the internal construction.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the breathing'apparatus with parts broken away to show the valve mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross section of the chamber used for storing the expired gases, and showing the mechanism interconnecting the movable walls of the chamber; and

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of another form of breathing apparatus embodying the same principle of operation, but with the exception that two breathing tubes and two check valves are used to connect a mask or nipple worn by the user with the apparatus. In this view the tubes are partly broken away to show the check valves required to insure the proper direction of flow of respirable medium between the apparatus and the mask or nipple.

Referring to the drawings, I designates a cylinder containing the gaseous respirable medium to be expended, 2 designates the chamber used for storing the expired gases, and 3 designates a canister containing the material required for reconditioning the expired gases in order to remove 2 from them the noxious gases and the water vapor.

The gaseous respirable medium passes from cylinder I through the orifice 4 (see Fig. 2), to the orifice seat 5 affixed to lever 6 which is pivoted at I. Lever 6 is actuated by bell crank 8 adjustably mounted on shaft 9 rotated by means of the mechanism composed of links Ill, II, I3, I4, and I5 (see Fig. 3), which are actuated by bellows plates I6 and II, the latter together with flexible bellows l8 and I9, comprising the movable walls of chamber 2. Spring 20 exerts a pressure on orifice seat 5 through lever 6 sufficient to prevent leakage of the gas from the orifice.

Pressure gauge M is used to indicate the pressure of the respirable medium contained within cylinder I.

Links I0 and II are pivoted at 2| to plate I6, link I3 being further pivoted at 23 to roller 24 and to link I4 while link II is further pivoted to a roller at the opposite side of chamber 2, and to link I5. Links I4 and I5 are connected at their other ends to a common pivot 21 on plate II. The rollers are guided transversely of chamber 2 in guides 24-45 and 3I32 respectively. Link I3 is pivoted at its ends to the mid points 33 and 34 of links II and I4 respectively and adjustably clamped at the center on shaft 9 by means of set screw I2. Shaft 9 runs vertically of chamber 2 and has a bell crank 8 attached to it at the top for operating lever 6.

The distances between pivots 2| and 23, 2| and 29, 21 and 29, and 33 and 33 are all equal. Also the distances between pivots 2| and 33, 33 and 29, 23 and 34, 34 and 21, and between the axis of shaft 9 and pivots 33 and 34, are all essentially equal. By the geometry of the mechanism comprising links Ill, II, I3, I4 and I5 the motion of one bellows plate is made equal in amount and opposite in direction to that of the other bellows plate. Further, the deflection of both bellows plates is restricted to a rectilinear deflection at right angles both to the longitudinal axis of chamber 2, and to the direction of movement of roller 24.

During the first part of the inhaling period of the breathing cycle the gases contained within chamber 2 are withdrawn from this chamber through fitting 35 (see Fig. 1), through the canister 3 containing the material used for removing the noxious gases and the water vapor, and thence through tubing 36 to a suitable mask or nipple carried by the user of the apparatus.

During inspiration, the gaseous pressure at the mask or nipple is reduced and this reduced pres- 3 sure is communicated through breathing tube 36 and canister 3 to chamber 2, the resulting differential pressure across the bellows I 8 and I9 causing plates I6 and I7 to approach each other and produce a flow of respirable medium from chamber 2 through breathing tube 36, and, canister 3 to the user of the apparatus. Link II], II, I2, I 3, I4, and I are thereby caused to rotate shaft 9 and bell crank 8 in a clockwise direction until the latter engages lever B lifting valve seat 5 from 10 orifice 1 in fitting 4 thereby permitting the respirable medium contained within cylinder I to fiow through orifice I and passageway 37, into chamber 2 until the pressure of the-gas contained within chamber 2 exceeds the external atmospheric pressure, thereby causing plates I5 and l Ii to separate, thereby actuating links I 0, I I, I2, I3,

I4, and I5, and rotating shaft 9 andcrank- 8- in acounterclockwise direction through an angle just sufficient to close orifice 6. During expiration the pressure of the gas at the mask or nipple is increased and this increased pressure is communicated through breathing tube 36 and. canister 3 to chamber 2 causing plates I 6 and. I! to separate still farther thus increasing the volume of chamber Z in conformity with the respiratory capacity of the user of the apparatus. In this form of breathing apparatus the expired gas passes twice through canister 3 during each breathing cycle; once during expiration and once during inspiration.

In another form of this breathing apparatus, (see Fig. 4) breathing tube 38 is interposed between the breathing mask, or nipple, and chamber 2, thereby forming a channel shunting breathing tube 36'and canister 3. Check valve 39 is installed within tube 38 to prevent the expired gas from entering chamber 2 through tube 38. Check valve 40 is installed within tube 36 to prevent the respirable medium from passing from canister 3 to the mask or nipple through tube 35. Thus in this form of apparatus the circle or circuit method isv used in which the respiredgas passes. once only through canister 3 during each breathing cycle.

As shown in the drawing, the assembly of the three main elements (the casing 2, the canister 3, and the container I), of approximately the same height and thickness, and connected together in side-by-side relation, comprises a compact unit. The connections between them are simple, and, as may be seen in the drawings, are adaptable for quick detachment and easy replacement of any one of the elements.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and/or used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes Without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

I claim:

'1 1. Means for operating a valve in accordance with changes of volume of a container which comprises, a pair of oppositely located portions of said container movable in response to said changes, a linkage lying between and interconnecting said portions, said linkage comprising a diamond-shaped assemblage of inter-pivoted links, two of the opposite corner points of said assemblage being connected to said portions and the remaining-two of said corner points being constrained to move along aline normal to a line joining said first mentioned corner points, a link pivotally connecting two opposite side links of said assemblage and lying midway between and parallel to-the remaining two of said side links, a shaft fixed with respect to said link, a spring normally maintaining said valve closed, and a lever fixed to said shaft and so located with respect to said valve as to engage and open said valve when said portions move toward each other.

2. In a breathing apparatus, a compact assembly comprising a casing for a variable volume storage chamber for a respirable medium, a canister having reconditioning material for expired gases and a container for the respirable medium under pressure, the three elements named being of approximately the same height and thickness, connected side-by-side and attached together for quick detachment and easy replacement, the container being connected to the chamber through a pressure control valve mounted on top of the chamber and operated in accordance with changes in volume of the chamber, and the can ister being onnected by an open passage with the chamberf'the other end of the canister having a conduit for connection to a breathing mask, a pressure gage mounted on top of the casing and connected to the connection between the container and the pressure control valve for indicating the pressure of the supply of respirable medium fromthe container, and operating means for said pressure control valve comprising means as defined in claim 1.

' HARCOURT C. SO-NTAG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,041,406 Foregger May- 19, 1936 1,216,116 Haywood Feb. 1 3, 1917 1,564,835 Drager Dec. 8, 1925 1,610,760 Drager n Dec. 14, 1926 1,533,172 Drager Apr. 14, 1925 1,645,312 Heide Oct. 11,1927 1,176,711 Gibbs Mar. 21,1916 1,225,269 Paul et al May 8, 19.17 953,462 Garforth Mar. 29, 1910 571,346 Dickerson et al NOV; 17, 1896 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 782 Germany Sept. 11, 1877 457,267 Germany Mar. 13, 1928 

